Underreamer.



. PREDBRIGKSON,

UNDERREAMBR. APPLICATIQN FlLED CT.12, 1911.

Patented Aug. 2o, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Him.,

L Ath WIT/VESSES:

C. E. FRBDERICKSON.

UNDBRREAMER.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.12.19 11.

2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

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f4? I' WTV` /W *3352 W/TNESSES: /IWE/V TUR Patented Aug. 20, 1912.

UNIE snare Paas CLAYTON E. FBEDERICKSOL; OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSlIGrlATOIE. F THREE- EIG-HTHS TO WILLIAM H.'STENGER, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, AND ONZE-L:[GrIEILVH-l 'V T0 LOWELL J'. HAFT, '0F PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA.

UNDEnREAr/mn.

Sr ciciication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. ao, i912.

I'Application filed October 12, 1911-. Serial No. 654,346.

To all whom, concern;

Be it known thang-C'TONE/FRED- Annrcxnsoinof San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco' and State of` California,

' following is, a specification.

My inventlon is'an improved tooll for use Ain'drilling and boring oil wells.

In practice a Well tube or casing` is forced into the Well, and in order that the casing or tube may pass down, the Vwell must be ,-reamed out below the `tube as it moves downwardly. 15" A jammed, broken, and lost, thereby rendering l In accomplishing this act, the tools employed, not infrequently become the voperation of well drilling both uncertain and expensive, and vfurthermore delaying the operations, until the lost too is recovered and removed from the well, or drilled intofiifietallicdust or driven into a sott formation outside of the wall "of the well.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved reaming tool that can be readily admitted o-r withdrawn through the Well casing Without delay, and Without danger of jamming the tool in the casing.

rl`he invention also consists inconstructing the upper ends of the cutters with trunnions and forming slots or pockets in the supporting body, providing such body with grooves that communicate With the pocket and placing the cutters in position by inserting the trunnion end of the cutters iirst in the main body and pushing the same into place, and then turning the cutters on their trunnions and dropping. or forcing them into the grooves and final resting place for the cutters, and furthermore the invention resides in providing a spring operated holding rod directly engaging the cutter in a manner that in the event of any accident by breaking of the actuating rod or spring, the cutters Wlll drop down the grooves inwhich the trunnions are located, until the trunnions rest 'at the bottom of the grooves, thus making it impossible for the` cutters to esca )c from they main'body in case of accident.

dore specifically the present intention is a modification of that disclosed in my copending application filed September 19, 1911, Serial No. 650110, and as in that case,

so in this, in applying my invention, I pro-Y vide a body-'having cutter receiving cham--l bers or pockets in whicht-he cutters are so. located and mountedjas to project the cut- ;ting edges beyond the diameterof the lbody when in use to under-team or undercut the .Well wall beneath the descending tube. The body and cutters arel inter-locked. when Lin operation, in such manner however, that upon exerting an upwafdpullfon-the body, the cutters will unlock and telescope or fold into the body to enable-theV reamer to be 'withdrawn through t-he'rtube whenever such action may be'necessary-or advisable. The

,cutters are-also provided with removable cut-ting points' to facilitate repairs, and means are providedto hold the cutters'and body in their proper interlocked relation during the operative function of the tool and thus prevent accidental disconnections taking .place between the cutters and the body.

Theprimary 'object yof this invention is to eliminate what is known asV the key for holding up the cutters in the devices heretofore proposed. l

In its more subordinate nature, the invention includes those Inovel .details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described and then be Aspecifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation of the invention indicating its position in operation in a well, the well casing being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a view at. right angles to Fig. 1. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing .hony the tool may be removed from the work, in the event of breaking of the holding members, etc. Fig. 4; is an enlargedl central, vertical section of. the tool in the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig.' 54 is a central, vertical section showing how the cutters are connected with the holding rod block in assemblingthe parts, and also indicating how the cutters are held in position when the tool is being loweredinto .the Well. l Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan View of 10 4 that surrounds the stem 5. The stem 5 projects into a bore 6, that communicates with the slot 7 which passes through the web 8, the web 8 separating ,the two cutter chambers 9-9. The extreme lower end of l the body l is V-shaped as at '11 and is providedl with an inverted V-shaped recess 12 at each sideof the central V-shaped portion 11 to receive the correspondingly shaped head 13 of the cutters 14. Each cutter 14 l has a lug 34 notched at 35 to enter the vcross slot 10 in the holding block 36 and engage one of the projections 20 thereof, the block 36 carrying the rod 5 and operating in the slot 7. The side walls of the cutter chambers 9 are provided with L-grooves, one end 17 of each of which opens out at the side of the body, while the other end 18 is v blind as indicated in Fig 4. The grooves 1'7--18 receive the trunnion bearings 19 of the cutters 14. Each cutter 14 also has a point receiving recess 21, the upper wall of which is provided with a dovetail slot 22 to receive the dovetail 23 'of the removable point 24. The point \24 is held i-n place by a pin 25 that passes through the cutter head 13 and the dovetail 22 as best shown .in Fig. 4.

26 is a union-cap which is provided with a threaded pocket 27 for the boss 2, and it also has a bore 28 that communicates with the pocket and receives' the spring 4 and the rod 5. The union-cap 26 has a nut face 29 and a threaded pin 30 to screw into t-he operating stem or rod 31. i

Operation: The well tube 32 having been started into the well opening, the reamer is let down into position. lIhis 1s accomplished by pulling the cutters 14 downwardly until the trunnions 19 rest in the blind ends of the grooves 18, at which time they are foldedin to lie within the diameter of the bod i end ot' the reamer, and they are held in t is position against tension of the spring 4 by breakable ieces 33, of wood or other similar materia, that,v are placed between `the shoulders 12 and'13 as best ,indicated in Fig. 5. The tool is then lowered through the well tube 32, andwhen the cutter-sengage the bottom of the well opening the rods 33 will break, and permit the 'spring 4 to draw the cutters into the operative position indicated in Fig. 4, the spring 4 being aided in this function by the Weight of the l'iody 1 and its carried parts. When it is desired to remove the tool` from the well, it is onlv necessary to draw an on the stem 31, when the inclined faces 39 o'f the cutters will engage the lower end of the well tube and be forced to telescope into the diametrical dimension of the body 1, and thereby readily pass through the well tube without danger of sticking or jamming.

In order that the cutters may be entfred into position, the trunnions are flattened or cut away .as at 40, so tlrt't'they may be inserted, asindicated in dotted lines in 5.

From the foregoing description taken in 4connection with the accompanying draw ings, itis believed the complete construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be manifest to those skilled in the art, and I .desire it understood, that the forms disclosed in the drawings are the preferred arrangements, although, I do not wish to be limited thereto.

What I claim is 1. In an under-reamer, a body portion having radial chambers, the sidewalls of which are provided with grooves, cutters mounted in said chambers and having trunnions to enter said grooves, said body portion atits lower extremity having an interlocking face, said cutters each having interlocking faces to interlock with said body face, and a holding rod having a block, and projecting lugs on said cutters to engage 9 said block for continuously tending to hold said cutters interlockcd with said body, said trunnions and said grooves including 1ueansto prevent disconnection betweensaid body and cutters in the event that said lugs break or vsaid continuously tending means fails to act.

2. In a reamer, a body having radially disposed cutter receiving chambers, the side walls of said chambers having L-grooves one end of which opens outwardly and the other ,end is blind, cutters having body portions held in said chambers and includ-v ing trunnions mounted in said grooves, said cutters having heads, a spring actuated rod device connecting with and continuously tending to move said cutters upwardly to bring said cutter heads into engagement with the under-face of said body, the cutter heads and said body-face haying' interprojecting portions, said rod device includi ing a block, and said cutters having lugs to engage saidvblock, thereby connecting s aid rod device with said cutters.

3. In an ,underreamexg a body portion 12o vhaving radial chambers, the side walls of which are provided with grooves open at4 one end, cutters mounted in said chambers and having portions to enter said grooves, said body portion and said cutters having interlockmg faces, said cutters being toldable into the body, each of said cutters having a projecting lug, moans engaging said lugs and continuously tending to hold said cutters interior-hed with said body, said 130 grooves having a restrictedv entrance, and

saidf'trunnions having cut away portions in virtue of which said tiunnions may be entered into said grooves when said cutters are in one position only, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a reamer, a disposed cutter chambers, the side walls of which have L-grooves, one end of each of which grooves opens outwardly and the other end is blind, cutters having body ,portions'held in said chambers and including trunnions mounted in said grooves, a spring actuated rod device, said rod device including a block having a' slot,said cutters including projecting lugs for entering said slot and engaging said'block, said spring actuated rod device serving to continuously tend to move said cutters upwardly to bring said cutters into engagement with said under body, substantially asshown and deenter said event that it becomes disconnected from said block.

3. In an under-reamer for oil wells, a main body having a radial cutter chamber or pocket, a cutter mounted in said pocket and having a projecting head, said cutter and body having interlocking portions to register with one another when said cutter is in its Working positiqn, a spring actuated-rod device for holding said-cutter in its working position and including a slotted block, said cutter including a projection to enter said slotted blockand engage therewith, said cutter having trniinions and said main body having grooves to receive said trunnions, one end of each ofsaid grooves being event that it becomes disconnected from said block, and releasable means for holding said cutter folded and against the tension of metric dimension of said body.

7,'In an under-reamer, a body portion having a cutter chamber, the sidewalls of which are provided with grooves the lower said spring actuated device within the diacnds of which are closed, a cutter mounted in said chamber and havin trun'nions to enter said grooves, said bo y portion andl a slotted block, body having radially.'

said cutter in thel loutwardly i nions mounted in said grooves, sai blind to retain said cutter. in the slotted block, "ing lug-to lenter andengage said said cutter having interlocking faces', and means continuously tending to hold said cutter interlocked with said body, said continuously tending holding means comprising a spring actuated rod device including to enter said slotted block, said block having a projection and said lug having a notch to receive said projection, substantially as shown and described. y

8. In an unde-r-ieamer, a body portion having a cutter chamber, the side walls ot which are provided with grooves the lower ends of which are closed, a cutter mounted in said chamber and having trunnions to enter said grooves, said body portion and said 'cutter having interlocking faces, and means continuously tending to hold said cutter interlocked with said body, said continuously tending holding means comprising a spring actuated rod device including a slotted block, and said cutter having a lug to enter said slotted block, and means for interlocking said lug with said slotted block.

9. In an under-reamer, a body portion having a cutter chamber, the side walls of,

which are provided with grooves, a cutter mounted insaid chamber and havingv trunnicns to enter said grooves, said body portion and said cutter having interlocking faces,.and means continuously tending to hold said cutter interlocked with said body, said groov and said trunnicns coperating to hold said cutter connected with said body, and said grooves having provisions to reand said cutter having a ,lug A- ask tain said cutter in connection with said body irrespective of said means that continuously tends to hold Asaid cutters .interlockedl with said body, saidc'ontinuously actuating-cutter holding means including a rod and block device, and said cutter having a projectingvv lugto engage the block of said block device, sub'stantially as shown and described..

10. n an under-reamer, a body'having a cutter reeei'ving chamber o ening at the side, the sidewalls of said c amber' having grooves, one endl of each of which opens andthe other end" is blind,

each of said grooves having its entrant end restricted, a cutter held in said chamber and includin trund trunnions having. cut away portions to enable said Y trunnions to enter said restricted entrant having a body portieri ends of said grooves when said cutters are in one position only, said cut-ter havin Ia head, said cutter-head and said body havin interprojecting portions to` interlock sai cutter and body, and yieldable-means for holding said cutter interlocked with said body, said yieldable means .including a sprhrg actuated rod device that includes a said cutter having a projectslotted a cuttery receiving chamb block and interlock therewith, said grooves and said trunnions preventing disconnection of said cutter from said bodyin the ,event that said yieldable `means becomes disconnectedl from said cutters.

11. In an under-reamer, a body having er opening at the side, the side walls of Said chamber having grooves, one end of each of which opens outwardly, a cutter having a body portion held in said chamber and including trunnions mounted in. said grooves, said cutter having a head, said cutter-head and said body having interprojecting portions to interlock said cutter and body, and yieldable means for holding. said cutter interlocked with said body, said body grooves having provisions for retaining said cutter in connection with said body upon failure of said last named means to act, s'aid last named means including a spring actuated rod. and block device that includes a slotted block, and said cutter having a projecting lug to enter and interlock with said slotted block, substantially as shown and described.

l2. In an under-reamer a` supporting body having a cutter chamber, a cutter removably held in said chamber, resilient means for retaining said cutter in operative position, and means for retaining said cutter in connection with said body in the event that said resilient retaining means becomes broken or inoperative, said resilient retaining means comprising a spring actu# ated rod and block device that includes a slotted block, said cutter having a lug to enter the slotof said slotted block, and means for interlocking said lug with said slotted block, said cutter retaining means comprising grooves in said body having blind lower ends and trunnions on said cutters to lie in said blind ends in the event that said resilient retaining means becomes inoperative.

the event that said 13. In an i under-reamer a supporting body having-a cutter chamber, a cutterhaving a lug and removably held in said chaniber, resilient means engaging saidv lug for retaining saidv cutter in operative position., and means for retaining said cutter in connection With said body in the event that said resilient retaining means becomes broken or inoperative, a removable cutter point for said cutter and means for removably securing said cutter point in4 position, said cutter retaining means comprising grooves in said body having blind lower ends and trunnions 0n said cutters to lie in said blind ends in resilient retaining means becomes inoperative. j

141-. In an under-reamer for oil wells a supporting bodyhaving a cutter chamber or pocket opening outwardly, a cutter mounted in said pocket and having trunnions, said body having a set of trunnion receiving grooves, said cutter having head, said cutter head and said body includ ing interlocking portions to register wi' one another whenA said cutter is inits working position, block device for holding Said cutter in its working position, said cutter having a p'rojecting lug to engage said block, said trunnions and other and including means to :retain said cutter in connection with said body-v at all timeswhile the tool is in the well and irrespective of the connection between said cutter and said block, in virtue of which the breaking or failure actuated rod device and its connection with the cutter will not cause a disconnection of said cutter from said body.'

` CLAYTON E. FREDERICKSON a spring actuated rod andv grooves coperating with one anto act of said spring. 

